Ashgold Gold face M.O Bejaia test in Algeria

No Ghanaian team has ever knocked out an Algeria opposition in the CAF Champions League, but Ashgold have set their eyes on rewriting history.

Match facts and team news

Ashgold had poor pre-season campaigns, but they started the Ghana Premier League very well with a home win over Medeama SC, the FA Cup champions to avenge their Super Cup defeat.

The Miners arrived in Algeria on Thursday ahead of the Sunday fixture.

Coach Bashiru Hayford after watching the footages of Bejaia, developed a strategy to neutralize their wing play and ensure that his side put the ball on the ground instead of high balls to prevent Bejaia from using their aerial ability, but the hosts came to Ghana defending, hence not much was seen from their attacking threats. However, with a 0-1 deficit they would open fire on Ashgold to get the goals that would see them through to the next stage.

Ashgold scorer in the first leg was Tijani Joshua, an unlikeliest source of goal for his side.

The good news for the Miners is that their two topmost signings during the transfer window, the Nuhu twin brothers, Fuseini Nuhu, an attacker and Alhassan Nuhu, a midfielder were both on the score sheet in their 2-1 win against Medeama last weekend.

M.O Bejaia

They have lost their last three games, 2 home matches and 1 away, the one they lost against Ashgold.

M.O Bejaia’s strength lies in their superior aerial ability and wing play.

The Crabs are currently placed 3 in the Algerian topflight league, after 21 games

Head to head

Ashgold’s only encounter against an Algerian opposition came in 2008. They lost 0-3 in Algeria to JS Kabylie and a draw in Ghana ended their campaign, while Bejaia’s first test in Africa were the Miners.

In all 27 games have taken place between clubs from Ghana and Algeria. The Algerian clubs have 13 wins to their credit, while Ghanaian clubs have registered 8 wins, with 6 ending in draws.

No Ghanaian club has ever managed a win on Algerian oil. Their best has been goalless draw on two occasions, all by Asante Kotoko in 2013 and 2015, but they were stunned in Ghana in the return fixtures by opponents.

Ghanaian clubs have over the years suffered elimination from sides from Algeria and it is now the turn of Ashgold to prove a point by rewriting history in the CAF Champions League.

In 5 different elimination encounters in the Champions Cup now the Champions League, no Ghanaian outfit has ever finished the home and away ties smiling.

In all African Inter Club Competitions Ghanaian clubs have met Algerian sides in 11 knockout games and Accra Hearts of Oak remain the only side that avoided elimination against a side from Algeria. That was in 1982 Cup Winners Cup: Hearts of Oak lost the away encounter 2-1 and won the home tie 2-0 against USK Algiers. Clubs like Ghapoha, Wise, Hearts of Oak in 1993 and 1995, Kotoko, Ashgold have all fallen victims to Algerian elimination before.